Oxycontin Dependency

Taken from the opium alkaloid, oxycontin is a white, odorless, crystalline powder. It is the brand name for a powerful painkiller called oxycodone hydrochloride. Oxycontin is commonly used as a mild to severe pain reliever for patients with chronic pain. Cancer patients are commonly prescribed with this drug and it has been praised for its long lasting pain relieving quality.

Oxycontin does not just lessens pain but it also gives the body a relaxing and euphoric feeling. The drug has a time-release structure that will last for 12 hours. When taken properly, which is through swallowing it whole, it is safe and not destructive. Once abused, addiction would always follow. Abuse is done by chewing, crushing, or dissolving the pill into liquid form, and then injecting the solution. Through this, the drug is released all at once and the user experiences a rush similar to heroin, thus experiencing euphoria and the like. Oxycontin addiction shows through chronic use and increasing tolerance so that more of the drug is needed to feel the same effects day by day. This will start making a person’s life to go on complications.

Once oxycontin addiction kicks in, an individual needs to increase the dosage to avoid experiencing pain. Oxycontin addiction also has side effects this includes insomnia, muscle and bone pain, sweats, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach cramping, and muscle twitching. Severe side effects could be highly dangerous.

Oxycontin is a prescription drug and is use to lessen pain. Yet it’s not as innocent as it seem. It also brings detrimental effects once exploited. Once an individual experiences the “high” brought on by oxycontin, the person is reinforced to take in more to achieve the same “high” feeling. This condition is now called addiction. One former oxycontin dependent testified that within a very small amount of time of consuming the tablet, he felt like superman, he could work all day, go home, and play with his kids. He felt he could do everything he wanted. Common sense would tell us that the immediate effects of the drug are very inviting. As time would pass, nonstop intake of the drug would lead to dependence. The problem begins when you could not get away with the drug.

Dependents on oxycontin admits that they have become dependent on the drugbut it’s the physical will to stop using the drug that is too complicated to deal with. Why so difficult? One, an individual becomes very dependent on the drug then discontinuing usage would mean painful side effects. Yes, the drug may be man’s best friend but once you turn your back on it, it becomes a snake that poisonously bites it could kill you. Once the intake of the substance is stopped by an addict, he/she is more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal syndrome is characterized by dysphoria, the opposite of euphoria, which entails sadness, depression, anxiety, and craving. Nothing really lasts forever.

Treatment for oxycontin addiction is done with a medical professional. There are many ways to treat oxycontin addiction. Treatments include medication and behavioral and counseling approaches. The substance methadone is helpful in eliminating drug craving and symptoms of withdrawal. Rapid detox is also one option to treat opioid addiction. Moreover, medication is accompanied with counseling and behavioral therapy since addiction is not only biological but psychological.

Oxycontin is a drug prescribed by doctors to eliminate mild to severe pain and it is used among cancer patients who experience extreme pain. Nevertheless, when addiction sets in, one should be prepared to go rehab for a treatment.